11/10

Thur.

 Supreme Court case work

Some key questions to consider:

Reading Due:

11/11

Fri.

Reflection Paper #2 Due!! Today we'll begin looking at the United States' first presidential administration, and the factions that continued to exist within the nation's new federal government.  We'll focus in particular on Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, his national economic programs, and the debate over those economic programs. 

Some key questions to consider:

What was the overall goal of Hamilton’s economic programs?  Why did these programs (the National Bank in particular) meet with such resistance?

Reading Due:Handout (online): Jefferson & Hamilton; Opinions on the constitutionality of a National Bank

11/15

Tue.

Federalists and Anti-Federalists organize into formal political parties: Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans.  Today gives us a chance to look at the principles of each party as they manifested themselves during the presidency of John Adams.

Some key questions to consider:

Why did Congress pass the Alien and Sedition acts in 1798?  What ideas did Thomas Jefferson and James Madison put forth in Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions following the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts?

Reading Due: Handout (online): Alien & Sedition Acts, Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions

11/17

Thur.

A new president.  A new political party in control of the executive branch.  Today, we'll examine the presidential election of 1800 and its significance for the United States. Also, a glimpse into the world of the Supreme Court, and how the Court established the principle of Judicial Review in Marbury v. Madison.

Some key questions to consider:

Define "judicial review."  What has the long-term significance of this principle proven to be? In what ways was Thomas Jefferson's election to the presidency a turning point in U.S. political history?  How would you characterize Jefferson's first inaugural address?

Reading Due:

Handout (online): Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address. Handout (online): Marbury v. Madison

11/18

Fri.

Away from the judicial branch, and back its executive and legislative counterparts.  On tap for today: a discussion of the Louisiana Purchase.

Some key questions to consider:

Does Jefferson's decision to purchase the Louisiana Territory make sense in light of his staunchly Republican principles?

Reading Due:

Handout (online): Thomas Jefferson, Third State of the Union Address

11/21

Mon.

A brief look today at what many historians refer to as the "Era of Good Feelings."  We’ll examine what that term means, and how it began to produce a sense (though maybe not a reality) of nationalism in the U.S.

Some Key Questions To Consider

Define the term "nationalism."  What evidence can you find of social, economic and judicial nationalism in this time period?

Reading Due:

Nation of Nations pp. 252-261

11/22

Tue.

A discussion today of a particularly complex (from the historian’s point of view, at least) president: Andrew Jackson.

Some Key Questions To Consider:

Your text (and no doubt Jackson's campaign managers) characterized him as a man of the people – is this an accurate view of Jackson?  What was Jackson's overall impact on the role of the chief executive in American politics?

Reading Due:

Nation of Nations, pp. 287-293, 296-301

11/29

Tues.

A big welcome back from your Thanksgiving break with a first look at Westward expansion in the U.S. during the early nineteenth century.

Some key questions to consider:

N/A

Reading Due:

12/1

Thur.

More on Westward expansion, with a particular focus on the Mexican War, the territory it added to the U.S., and the issues that arose as a result.

Some key questions to consider:

Define the term "manifest destiny."  What were the primary motivating factors in the decision to go to war with Mexico in 1845?  What were the key issues that presented themselves to Congress in the wake of this war?

Reading Due:

Nation of Nations, pp. 364-377

12/2

Fri.

Oh, what a joyous occasion!  An in-class test covering your Unit III fact sheet and your choice of essay questions.  And on a Friday, too?  Really, what could be better?  (That's a rhetorical question, by the way.)  

Some key questions to consider:

N/A

Reading Due:

N/A (Study, study, and, um, like, study some more.)